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8ASIANS | AN ASIAN AMERICAN COLLABORATIVE BLOG

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RANDALL PARK’S UCLA 2023 COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

Posted on June 20, 2023 by John

This past week, actor, comedian, writer, director, and UCLA Alumnus Randall Park
delivered the keynote speech at all three UCLA 2023 college commencements. In
this speech, he walks through his career ups and downs and how they shaped
himself to the person he is today – that the adversity you face may help pave
the way for future success. His speech is both funny and wise – worth spending
the time to listen to it. It’s also fascinating to see how his career has
evolved since we interviewed him in 2011.

I first blogged about Randall Park way before I knew who he was in one of my
first ever “Asian American Commercial Watch” series of blog posts, Asian
Americans going on a date in a Wells Fargo commercial. In the ad, Park is
portraying a man getting ready to go on a date. Since then, Park has had quite a
career as you can see from his IMDB listing. That’s quite remarkable to see for
an Asian American male actor (or for that matter, Asian American female actor),
especially if you’ve grown up in the 1970s and 1980s seeing a paucity of Asian
American faces in TV and movies.

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Posted in Current Events, Education, Entertainment, Local, Southern California |
Tagged Randall Park, ucla | No Comments


ASIAN AMERICAN MEDICAL HAZARD: HIDDEN FAT AND HIDDEN DIABETES

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Jeff

“Hidden fat” at first glance doesn’t look like a bad thing. Who wants to have
everyone see where your fat is? But for Asian Americans Pacific Islanders and
the Filipino, South Asian, and Pacific Islander subgroups in particular, fat
tends to be stored around the liver and other internal organs, making these
groups more vulnerable to diabetes and less likely to be diagnosed if their BMI
or waistlines or A1C tests look normal and do not indicate diabetes. This is
becoming an increasing concern as the number of Asian Americans with diabetes is
on the rise.

These articles from NPR discuss two Asian American researchers in particular
working to understand how diabetes works in their communities.  The first is Dr.
Alka Kanaya who explains how hidden fat works.  Rather than ending up in the
hips or thighs, fat tends to be “in all the wrong places” such as “in the liver,
around the abdominal organs, in the muscle, around the heart.” We have talked
before about some her work with the South Asian Americans in the MASALA project.

The second is Maria Rosario Araneta, who first noticed the problem when she
heard that many Filipino American Navy men who weren’t overweight and sedentary
were hospitalized with kidney damage from diabetes. This hit home for her, as
she is Filipino American and has a father and grandmother who had diabetes and
were thin. Another problem that Araneta has found is that the common tests for
diabetes, the A1C test, does not find diabetes in many Asian Americans using the
standard scale.

This article is also hits home for me as Filipino American.  My father is not
overweight and is active yet has diabetes. We have done many stories on the
increased vulnerability of Asian Americans to diabetes compared to the general
population. I know many many Filipino Americans who are diabetic, and this study
shows that many are undiagnosed. I also work with many South Asians who may be
vulnerable to these same sort of problems.

The article suggests that in the long term, more studies of different Asian
subgroups would be useful.  In the near team, increased monitoring is
importing.  This includes checking for diabetes with Asian Americans with BMI at
23, and doing further diabetes tests for Asian Americans in the “pre-diabetes”
A1C range.  Also, I have noticed that while many Filipino Americans might not be
overweight, they have poor lifestyle habits that involve consuming too much
sugar and not exercising sufficiently. Lifestyle changes can make a difference.
The article says that for some South Asians, the South Asian Healthy Lifestyle
Intervention Program (SAHELI) program has made a big difference.  The Joslin
Asian American Diabetes Initiative website has many useful resources for Asian
Americans concerned about diabetes.

 

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Posted in Asian American Medical Hazard, Health | Tagged Asian BMI, Diabetes,
Filipino-Americans, Pacific Islanders, South Asian Americans | No Comments


SF DOCFEST: HOW TO HAVE AN AMERICAN BABY

Posted on June 9, 2023 by John

I had first heard of ‘birth tourism’ from a former co-worker/friend of mine more
than a decade ago. When I heard that Chinese women were coming Southern
California to give birth so that their kids could get U.S. citizenship, I was
incredulous. A few months after that, I had read this in January 2013 LA Times
article:

> “USA Baby Care’s website makes no attempt to hide why the company’s clients
> travel to Southern California from China and Taiwan. It’s to give birth to an
> American baby.
> 
> “Congratulations! Arriving in the U.S. means you’ve already given your child a
> surefire ticket for winning the race,” the site says in Chinese. “We guarantee
> that each baby can obtain a U.S. passport and related documents.”
> 
> That passport is just the beginning of a journey that will lead some of the
> children back to the United States to take advantage of free public schools
> and low-interest student loans, as the website notes. The whole family may
> eventually get in on the act, since parents may be able to piggyback on the
> child’s citizenship and apply for a green card when the child turns 21.
> 
> USA Baby Care is one of scores, possibly hundreds, of companies operating
> so-called maternity hotels tucked away in residential neighborhoods in the San
> Gabriel Valley, Orange County and other Southern California suburbs. Pregnant
> women from Chinese-speaking countries pay as much as $20,000 to stay in the
> facilities during the final months of pregnancy, then spend an additional
> month recuperating and awaiting the new baby’s U.S. passport.”

When I saw that “How to Have an American Baby” documentary was coming to the
2023 San Francisco Documentary Festival (“DocFest”), I definitely wanted to see
it.

Continue reading →

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Posted in 8mm Film Review, 8Series, Entertainment, Local, Movies, San Francisco
Bay Area, Southern California | Tagged birth tourism, How to Have An American
Baby, Jillian Schultz, Leslie Tai, SF DocFest | No Comments


SMARTWATCH HEART RATE MONITORING FOR DARKER SKIN

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Jeff

As a smartwatch user who uses one to track health and fitness statistics, I have
wondered how accurate it is, especially since my skin tone is on the darker side
(see picture).  We have written about how pulse oximeters have been shown to be
less accurate on people of color, but what about heart rate monitoring using
smartwatches?  Are there similar issues?

I found this systematic review of studies looking at smartwatch heart rate data
accuracy vs skin tone. Out of 10 studies found, four reported a significant
reduction in accuracy for those with darker skin. Four studies noted no effect,
and two had mixed results. The review states that that preliminary evidence is
inconclusive. The lead author of the study, Dr. Daniel Koerber, says in an
interview:

> Ongoing research and development of these devices should emphasize the
> inclusion of populations of all skin tones so that the developed algorithms
> can best accommodate for variations in innate skin light absorption.

I wondered why some studies would show an effect from skin tone while others did
not. The systematic review pointed out that the studies were not blind and had
small sample sizes while using different devices. I think the using different
devices makes a large difference.  I looked up how my Garmin smartwatch that I
use is affected for skin tone issue.  Garmin says that their watches compensate
for dark skin by using more light. Darker skinned people may see slightly more
power being used.

My takeaway from looking at this question is that smartwatch heart rate
monitoring can be accurate for dark skin. Buyers for smartwatches who want to
use this feature should look up for themselves whether or not the smart watch
that they want for heart rate monitoring compensates for their skin tone.

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Posted in Health, Health and Beauty, Lifestyles, Technology | Tagged heart rate
monitoring, photoplethysmography, smartwatch | No Comments


CAAMFEST 2023: REVIEW – PHOTOGRAPHIC JUSTICE: THE CORKY LEE STORY

Posted on June 2, 2023 by John

I was supposed to review Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story (trailer
here) during or around CAAMFest 2023, but I let the screener link expire and the
screening during CAAMFest was on Mother’s Day. I finally reached out to the
filmakers and was able to watch the documentary. When I first saw the list of
films that were going to be screened at CAAMFest and saw this one listed, I knew
I had to watch it.

I was a “friend” of Corky Lee, at least on Facebook but had never met him nor
did I really know much about Lee (except that he appeared to be a photographer
based on all of his postings) until I watched the documentary Photographic
Justice: The Corky Lee Story:

> “Born in Queens, Corky Lee, for a half-century, had been documenting New York
>  City’s Asian American community.   
> 
> His photos show the little-known struggle of Asians in America,  including
> civil rights protests, racist immigration legislation, and  violence towards
> Sikhs and Muslims of Asian descent since 9/11. “

Having blogged for 8Asians since January 2007, I’ve gotten to know a lot of
people in the Asian American community (Corky & I have 77 mutual friends on
Facebook) and learn about our history. I knew that Lee was a photographer and
that was about it. After the watching the documentary, I could really relate to
him, as his ethos was – that if an event wasn’t photographed, it really didn’t
happen.

I also try to live by that ethos, except that I would add that if also wasn’t
recorded on video, it didn’t happen. In many ways, my efforts to document events
on 8Asians is the very same as Corky’s – if I’m not going to do it, who is?
That’s why I’ve tried to document Asian American events or people that don’t get
as much coverage that I am interested in, in particular around politics, and
think I have one of the deepest coverage and focus on Asian Americans for
certain events, like at the Democratic National Convention in 2012 & 2016, Fred
Korematsu Day in California, the City of San Jose apology to Chinese Americans,
Celebration & Commemoration of the 125th anniversary of Wong Kim Ark Day
[3/28/1898] in San Francisco, etc.

Continue reading →

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Posted in 8mm Film Review, 8Series, Entertainment, History, Local, Movies,
Politics, San Francisco Bay Area | Tagged CaaMFest 2023, Corky Lee, Photographic
Justice: The Corky Lee Story | No Comments


125TH ANNIVERSARY OF WONG KIM ARK DAY [3/28/1898] – CELEBRATION & COMMEMORATION

Posted on May 31, 2023 by John

Another blog post I am woefully late on (but did post the video on YouTube
shortly afterwards). I had attended the 125th anniversary back on March 25th
commemorating and celebrating the landmark Supreme Court decision of U.S. vs.
Wong Kim Ark:

> “Wong Kim Ark, who was born in San Francisco in 1873, had been denied re-entry
> to the United States after a trip abroad, under a law restricting Chinese
> immigration and prohibiting immigrants from China from
> becoming naturalized U.S. citizens. He challenged the government’s refusal to
> recognize his citizenship, and the Supreme Court ruled in his favor, holding
> that the citizenship language in the Fourteenth Amendment encompassed the
> circumstances of his birth and could not be limited in its effect by an act
> of Congress.”

I had first learned of Wong Kim Ark maybe 5 years ago while reading a review of
a documentary about birthright citizenship. I had just assumed that this was
because of the Fourteenth Amendment. In reality, it was re-affirmed and codified
into law because of this case.

This celebration and commemoration occured in Chinatown in San Francisco and
rightfully so. I had sent out my YouTube video of the commemoration to all of my
Asian American and political friends, especially those in the San Francisco Bay
Area, along with a lawyer I knew, along with this Washington Post article about
the 125th anniversary:

> “U.S. government officials considered citizenship claims by native-born
> children of Chinese immigrants to be an end run around the 1882 Chinese
> Exclusion Act, the racist federal law that barred most Chinese immigrants from
> entering the United States. Wong became the government’s “test case” — chosen
> with the goal of defeating birthright citizenship for the children of
> “undesirable” immigrants.
> …
> Wong relied on the Citizenship Clause to defend his right to remain in the
> United States. Wong was born in San Francisco around 1870, the son of Chinese
> immigrants who were barred by federal law from naturalizing based on their
> race. He lived in the United States most of his life, working as a cook and a
> laborer. Wong knew he was an American at birth.
> 
> But when Wong tried to return home after a visit to China in August of 1895,
> his government barred him from entering, denying his citizenship despite
> conceding his birth in the United States.
> …
> But the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause was written in race-neutral
> terms. Conrad was forced to argue against citizenship for the children of all
> noncitizen parents on the ground they were not “subject to the jurisdiction”
> of the United States, as that Clause requires. This breathtaking claim would
> have stripped citizenship from hundreds of thousands of people born in the
> United States to immigrant parents.
> 
> It was also wrong. As members of the Reconstruction Congress explained in
> 1866, the narrow exception to birthright citizenship applied only to the
> children of diplomats and those born into Native American tribes, who were
> under the “jurisdiction” of a separate sovereign and did not need to comply
> with all U.S. laws. In contrast, immigrants and their children living in the
> United States were and are required to follow all federal and state laws or
> face criminal and civil penalties and so are fully “subject” to the nation’s
> “jurisdiction.”
> 
> After deliberating for over a year, on March 28, 1898, the Supreme Court
> rejected the government’s argument and held that the native-born children of
> immigrants are citizens at birth. Wong’s victory was a surprise coming from a
> court that two years earlier had upheld “separate but equal” in Plessy v.
> Ferguson, and that frequently ruled against a group it referred to as the
> “obnoxious Chinese.””

I was surprised that my SF Bay Area political friends were not aware of the Wong
Kim Ark case. It made me think of SF City Attorney David Chiu’s remarks at the
event that a Hollywood film should be made about him. I was especially surprised
that some lawyer friends didn’t know because I thought this would be taught in
law school.

In any case, I was especially moved to see that some direct descendants of Wong
Kim Ark were in attendance – literally living history. One of the joys over the
years while I’ve been blogging for 8Asians is to educate myself and share about
all the historic and interesting events and Asian Americans I’ve come to learn
about, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, where some of the first Asian
Americans became deeply rooted in the United States.

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Posted in Current Events, Discrimination, History, Local, Politics, San
Francisco Bay Area | Tagged immigration, wong kim ark | No Comments


ANDREW YANG & MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER WITH THE COMMON SENSE PARTY – SAN
FRANCISCO (4/21/23)

Posted on May 30, 2023 by John

Speakers in the video above – in order of appearance: (click on “Watch on
YouTube” for entire timestamped video segments in the video description)

 * Sara Lashanlo, Northern California Volunteer Coordinator, Common Sense Party
 * Andrew Yang, Co-Chair, Forward Party
 * Tom Campbell, Chair, Common Sense Party
 * Quentin Kopp, co-founder of Common Sense Party, former San Francisco Board of
   Supervisor, California State Senator, California (San Mateo) Superior Court
   judge
 * Lindsey Williams Drath, Forward Party
 * CEO Governor Christine Todd Whitman, Co-Chair, Forward Party

I am woefully late in this blog post that I have been working on since April
(though I did publish the video shortly after the event), but back on Friday,
April 21st in San Francisco, Andrew Yang, co-chair of the Forward Party joined
with co-chair former Governor of New Jersey, Christine Todd Whitman, to promote
the Common Sense Party in California. When I first saw the news that Yang &
Whitman were visiting both San Francisco and Los Angeles regarding this, I was a
little confused.



The political press didn’t report much on the alliance of the two parties, and I
didn’t see the press release back in January (‘Common Sense Party and Forward
Party Join Forces in California’):

> “In a move to empower independent-minded California voters, the Common Sense
> Party and Forward Party of California are combining efforts to change politics
> in the Golden State for the better. Using the ‘Common Sense Party’ name, this
> new political coalition is the future for independent-minded and
> solutions-oriented politics in California. This joint effort reflects a
> commitment to unleashing the political power of state and local leaders to
> better represent our diverse communities through common sense problem solving
> in government. … Under California law, new parties must register approximately
> 73k voters to be officially recognized as a political party in the state.
> Forward Party members in California will now register for the Common Sense
> Party, joining the already nearly 30k registered Common Sense Party voters.
> Volunteers across the state will be able to work together at the grassroots
> level, leading through our shared values of cooperation and problem solving.”

I was able to attend this event in San Francisco to learn more about this
coalition and also meet and interview both Yang and Whitman. You can watch the
whole event in the video above and my interview below.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Current Events, Local, Politics, San Francisco Bay Area, Southern
California | Tagged Andrew Yang, Forward Party | No Comments


US MEMORIAL DAY: REMEMBERING HENRY CHIN OF THE LOST BATTALION

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Jeff

Monument to the Lost Battalion



During this time when Asian Americans continue to be questioned for their
loyalty and are still considered perpetual foreigners, it is worthwhile on US
Memorial Day to note Asian Americans who fought and died for their country.  One
such Asian American is Henry Chin, who was part of the famous Lost Battalion of
World War 1. The story of the Lost Battalion became one of the most noted war
time stories in the United States during that time, spawning news paper accounts
and even a movie in 1919. Henry Chin is also portrayed in the 2001 movie The
Lost Battalion.

The Lost Battalion, led by Major Charles Whittlesey, was a group of soldiers
from the US Army 77th Infantry Division who fought to capture an objective and
were then surrounded by German forces.  While taking enormous losses (> 72%
casualty rate), they survived running low on food, water, and ammunition, German
counter-attacks, and artillery barrages from US forces. Their resistance
provided a distraction to German forces that contributed to an Allied
breakthrough. Whittlesey and others received the Medal of Honor. Another famous
Asian American WWI war hero, Lau Sing Kee, served in this division, although I
can find no evidence that he was in the Lost Battalion incident.

More than 100 years after the Lost Battalion, it is hard to express just how
much they captured the imagination of the US public at the time. The story
gathered a lot of press at the time, particularly from famed newspaperman and
short story writer Damon Runyon. A movie was created in 1919 that reenacted the
story. Almost everyone in the United States knew the story. In the novel The
Great Gatsby, Gatsby refers to war experiences that echoes the Lost Battalion. A
number of books were published over the past 100 years about the Lost Battalion.
The monument shown above was erected in 2008.

Getting back to Henry Chin, I couldn’t find a picture of him. As I mentioned, he
is portrayed in the 2001 The Lost Battalion movie, but he isn’t on screen very
long. The movie emphasizes that the 77th was mostly composed of New Yorkers,
many of who were recent immigrants and whose loyalty was questioned but still
were willing to fight for the their new country (it seems that some things do
not change 100 years later). I thought it was fairly good (it has a 79% Rotten
Tomatoes score) and would recommend it.

The Lost Battalion can be streamed or purchased on Amazon Prime. For a thorough
overview on the Lost Battalion, this is a excellent talk. Our other US Memorial
Day stories can be found here.

 

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Posted in 8mm Film Review, History | Tagged american history, Asian American
History Month, Henry Chin, Memorial Day, The Lost Battalion, US Army, US
Memorial Day, WWI | No Comments


A SHORT REVIEW: AUNTIE

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Jeff

There comes a time in your life when a metaphorical slap in the face tells you
that you are no longer the young hip person you may have thought that you once
were.  In Fawzia Mirza‘s short film Auntie (IMDB entry here), lawyer Hena,
played wonderfully by Vanita Kalra, goes to a meeting for South Asian lawyers
and gets that slap for herself. I found this short to be very funny and
particularly germane to people of my age.



photo credit: Fawzia Mirza



As you may know, in many AAPI cultures, older people are addressed as “Uncle” or
“Auntie” as a form of respect.  This is common in Hawaii, also. While I have had
nieces and nephews who call me “Uncle” for quite some time, it is completely
different when you get called out in public by people you don’t know. Auntie
reminded me of one such moment. I went to watch a Warriors game at the Chase
Center with Number Two Son and The Daughter’s boyfriend. After the game as we
were waiting in line to get the escalator down and out, I hear behind me a woman
say, “Uncle, can you take our picture?” I heard it but was unsure until Number
Two Son said, “they are talking to you!” Turns out the Asians behind me thought
I was now “Uncle” material. Number Two Son and The Daughter’s boyfriend thought
it was hilarious (and yes, I did take their picture). Auntie, with its use of
technology and interactions between different generations really made me think
of my “Uncle” moment.

In addition to how it deals with generations, I really like Auntie‘s Asian
American cultural elements.  Not my particular Asian American cultural group but
with enough universality to make me identify with it. I particularly enjoyed the
music which I had never heard before (Firestarter and Hot Mango Chutney Sauce).

As you can tell, I really enjoyed Auntie and recommend it. Even if you don’t,
well, it’s a short!

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Posted in 8mm Film Review, Entertainment, Movies | Tagged Auntie, Fawzia Mirza,
short, Vanita Kalra | No Comments


CAAMFEST 2023: REVIEW ‘STARRING JERRY AS HIMSELF’

Posted on May 17, 2023 by John

At CAAMFest, some friends of mine were interested in seeing Starring Jerry as
Himself:

> “Wait wait. How did we go from funny 80s immigrant family home videos to
> horror film infrasound playing behind an ominous phone call from Shanghai
> Police? How does sweet Gong Gong Jerry, a Taiwanese retired elder living in
> Orlando, become a suspect in a sophisticated international money laundering
> scheme? I mean, there has to be some kind of mistake! FREE JERRY! Overheard,
> “We need to investigate you or else we will have to charge you as a criminal.”
> Things from there get even more WILD, leaving us asking out loud, is this a
> documentary film pretending to be a narrative film? Are our minds racing and
> pupils dilated the whole time? Yes, yes they are. So, Jerry is the Florida
> version of Jason Bourne and Ke Huy Quan, and the whole time you will be
> rooting for him – his secret agent vibes, dad love language, and currents of
> candid loneliness. We’re totally not crying, it’s just raining on our faces.
> Also, have you checked-in with your parents today? (Hint: you better!)”

After seeing the trailer, I thought it was interesting enough that I’d go see it
as well with them. I enjoyed the film, but from the trailer, it’s not exactly
what you think it is and is done so in a way by the filmmakers on purpose. The
director himself, before the film started, said the film was ‘weird.’



Starring Jerry as Himself’ (SJAH) is like a re-enactment of a real story done in
a documentary style (“docufiction”), and I didn’t find it weird.

When Jerry, his son, and the director, walked on stage for the post screening
panel, there was a standing ovation in support of Jerry’s ordeal.



The post screening panel helped provide a lot more context and answers. If you
watch the video, it will kind of spoil the surprise of the film. That’s one
reason why my review of the film is a bit generic.

One of the takeaways is certainly to try to have deeper conversations with you
parents, especially as adult children and try to understand your immigrant
parents before they leave you forever. Don’t let a crisis be the impetus to grow
closer to your family, though sadly, that is often the case for many families.



After getting out of the theater, I was able to ask the director quickly when
the film was being released widely, either streaming or in theater, and he said
as he was running off elsewhere that they were still looking for distribution.

Overall, I enjoyed the film. I’m not sure the pacing (the movie didn’t drag –
the film is only 75 minutes) and style would necessarily appeal to a mainstream
audiences. There is an audience out there for it, especially once you understand
the conclusion of actual events at the end, it has a very important message.

The film originally debuted at the Slamdance 2023 film festival (which runs
concurrently in Park City during the Sundance film festival), and has been
playing at other film festivals since then and has thus far received 3 out of 3
“fresh” reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

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Posted in 8mm Film Review, 8Series, Entertainment, Local, Movies, Reviews, San
Francisco Bay Area | Tagged CAAM, CaaMFest 2023, Law Chen, Starring Jerry as
Himself | No Comments


CAAMFEST AND DISNEY+ PREVIEW AMERICAN BORN CHINESE

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Tim

Perhaps one of the most anticipated young adult Asian American media releases
this year is Disney+’s upcoming streaming series American Born Chinese,   The
series, set to release on May 24 on Disney+, is based on Gene Luen Yang’s award
winning graphic novel of the same name. The series (and the book) follows the
life of Jin Wang (played by Ben Wang – “Chang Can Dunk”), a Chinese American
teenager navigating the angst of being a teenager interlaced with both overt and
subtle racism at his high school.  Throw into the mix the son of the Monkey King
(Wei-Chen Sun), the Monkey King, Pigsy and Guanyin, and you’ve almost got the
equivalent of an Asian American Marvel Universe, with plenty of action packed
Kung-fu scenes included.



The series expands and differs from the original graphic novel in interesting
and sometimes touching ways. The setting moves from the 1980-90’s to present
day, and adds a lot more color around the home family dynamics Jin Wang has to
deal with in addition to his troubles at school, and highlights the troubles his
parents, Simon and Christine Wang (played by Chin Han – Mortal Kombat and Yeo
Yann Yann – Wet Season) face navigating America as immigrants. Asian Americans
who grew up in the U.S. will recognize many of the microaggressions, challenges,
and dilemmas facing Jin Wang.  Gene Luen Yang captures many of the
quintessential experiences, one of the many reasons Yang’s graphic novel has had
so much acclaim and success.

The series stars an Asian/Asian American cast, including many of the key stars
of Everything Everywhere All at Once  (winner of seven Oscars at the 2023
Academy Awards including best actress for Michelle Yeoh – Guanyin and best
supporting actor for Ke Huy Quan – Freddy Wong). Add to that Emmy® Award-winning
executive producer Kelvin Yu (“Bob’s Burgers,” “Central Park”), Lucy Liu
directing an episode, and other Asian/Asian American actors, including Daniel Wu
(“Reminiscence”), Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), and
former Taekwondo champion Jimmy Liu  (“Just Add Magic”).

Continue reading →

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Posted in Current Events, Entertainment, Reviews, San Francisco Bay Area, TV,
Uncategorized | Tagged American Born Chinese, Ben Wang, Chin Han, daniel wu,
Everything Everywhere all at Once, Gene Luen Yang, Jimmy Liu, Ke Huy Quan,
Kelvin Yu, Stephanie Hsu, Yeo Yann Yann | No Comments


CAAMFEST 2023: OPENING NIGHT WITH ‘JOY RIDE’ & GALA

Posted on May 15, 2023 by John

For the first time since the pandemic, CAAMFest (Center for Asian American Media
Festival) 2023 went full-tilt for the in-person attendee in San Francisco with
the opening night film Joy Ride:

> “From the producers of Neighbors and the co-screenwriter of Crazy Rich Asians,
> JOY RIDE stars Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Oscar® nominee Stephanie Hsu, and
> Sabrina Wu. The hilarious and unapologetically explicit story of identity and
> self-discovery centers on four unlikely friends who embark on a
> once-in-a-lifetime international adventure. When Audrey’s (Ashley Park)
> business trip to Asia goes sideways, she enlists the aid of Lolo (Sherry
> Cola), her irreverent, childhood best friend who also happens to be a hot
> mess, Kat (Stephanie Hsu), her college friend turned Chinese soap star, and
> Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), Lolo’s eccentric cousin. Their no-holds-barred, epic
> experience becomes a journey of bonding, friendship, belonging, and wild
> debauchery that reveals the universal truth of what it means to know and love
> who you are.”





After seeing the “red band” (R-rated movie trailer) online of  Joy Ride and
seeing the reviews of the film (100% “Fresh” with 13/13 reviews) after its world
premiere at South by Southwest earlier this year, I *KNEW* I had to see this
film and attend CAAMFest opening night when CAAM announced that ‘Joy Ride’ was
going to kickoff the festival.

Continue reading →

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Posted in 8mm Film Review, 8Series, Comedy, Entertainment, Local, San Francisco
Bay Area | Tagged Ashley Park, CAAM, CaaMFest 2023, Joy Ride, Sabrina Wu, Sherry
Cola, Stephanie Hsu | No Comments
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